$750k bond for rape suspectA man accused of rape was ordered held in lieu of a $750,000 bond by District Judge Don Bourne on Wednesday. Douglas Cook, 42, appeared in felony bond hearings at the Pope County Detention Center on suspicion of rape. On June 12, investigators with the Pope County Sheriff's Office and the Arkansas State Police interviewed four girls between the ages of 9-12 who said they were sexually assaulted by Cook on numerous occasions, an officer testifi...

Man tried to toss drug-filled football into prison JACKSON, Mich. (AP) — Michigan authorities say a man tried to throw a football loaded with drugs and cellphones into the yard of a state prison. State Trooper Toby Baker says Sunday's throw in Jackson fell short, with the football landing between two fences and not in the yard where prisoners exercise. An officer at the G. Robert Cotton Correctional Facility saw the throw the football, and officers arrested the suspect. The Detroit Free Press ...

Man arrested after allegedly firing shot near I-30 LITTLE ROCK (AP) — Little Rock police have arrested a man accused of firing a handgun into another vehicle after they exited Interstate 30 in the city's southwest. Police say Ricky Burns, 24, of Little Rock was identified by the other driver Tuesday as the man who shot into his car. The victim suffered cuts from broken glass after the pistol shot went through the driver-side window and exited through the windshield. The incident occurred short...

Teller spots gun, locks out man entering bank LITTLE ROCK (AP) — An alert bank teller in Little Rock saw a man with a gun trying to enter and locked the man out. Police said the suspect tried to get into the Iberia Bank branch on South University Avenue at 9 a.m. Tuesday morning. Seeing the gun, police say the teller wouldn't buzz him in. Investigators are looking for a man described as black, 6 feet tall and wearing a dark blue hoodie and blue jeans. The suspect then got into the passeng...

Conway police investigate man's slaying CONWAY (AP) — Police in Conway are investigating the slaying of a man whose wife found him bleeding outside their home. Authorities identified the victim as Francesco Trujillo, 42, who was discovered early Tuesday. Trujillo's wife told investigators her husband was outside with family members when she went to bed around midnight. She later checked on him and found him lying in a pool of blood on the front porch. The Log Cabin Democrat reported...

Bond Hearings (June 16, 2014)The following individuals appeared in felony bond hearings Monday at the Pope County Detention Center. Their names, ages, anticipated charges and bond amounts are listed below. If charged, they will appear July 7 in Circuit Court. • Charles Austin, 25, burglary, theft of property and criminal mischief — $20,000. On June 8, the Russellville Police Department (RPD) was contacted by CJ’s Consignment and La Huerta’s, and both reported commercial b...

Independence Co. OKs monitors for some inmates BATESVILLE (AP) — Leaders in Independence County are enacting new changes at the county jail in hopes of easing overcrowding and saving money. Sheriff Steve Jeffery says the county began using electronic monitoring bracelets Monday for some low-level offenders to free up space in the facility. Jeffery says the participating inmates will be required to pay the $9-a-day cost for the bracelets. The sheriff says the inmates will be required to sho...

2 jailed for defacing West Memphis police memorial WEST MEMPHIS, Ark. (AP) — Authorities say two women have been arrested for vandalizing the new Fallen Officers Memorial in West Memphis. According to police, the women allegedly etched words into the memorial while their children threw rocks at the wall. One of the women reportedly carved her own name into the memorial, which honors officers who died in the line of duty. Lacey Rose Friddle, 19, and Jessica May Lapradd, 25, were arrested Saturd...

Meth pours into Central California as liquid FRESNO, Calif. (AP) â In methamphetamine's seedy underworld, traffickers are disguising the drug as a liquid to smuggle it into the United States from Mexico. Dissolved in a solution, it's sealed in tequila bottles or plastic detergent containers to fool border agents and traffic officers. Once deep in California's Central Valley, a national distribution hub, meth cooks convert it into crystals â the most sought-after form on the street. Tough...

Nude man arrested after stealing 2 vehicles, pursuit The Russellville Police Department (RPD), Pope County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) and Arkansas State Police (ASP) teamed up to arrest a man, who wasn’t wearing any clothes, after he fled police and stole two vehicles Friday night. According to a RPD press release, officers responded to the 200 block of Hill View Cove at approximately 10:34 p.m. Friday in reference to a nude white male banging on the residence’s front door. While officers were in r...

5 former Alamo properties put up for auction TEXARKANA, Ark. (AP) — Five properties formerly owned by Tony Alamo have been auctioned off to partially satisfy a civil judgment against the imprisoned evangelist. About 40 people attended the public sale Thursday on the steps of the Miller County Courthouse. The Texarkana Gazette reported the sale included four properties in Fouke: Alamo's personal residence, church, gymnasium and another property. A fifth property in Texarkana was also sold...

6 defendants sentenced in NW Arkansas drug case FAYETTEVILLE (AP) — Six defendants in a northwest Arkansas drug-trafficking case have been sentenced to federal prison. U.S. Attorney Conner Eldridge said Thursday that the defendants were charged in a seven-count indictment handed up in July. A 27-year-old Mexican national, Ivan Jiminez, was sentenced to 24 years, 4 months, in prison for allegedly arranging the delivery of two pounds of methamphetamine. He was convicted of one count of conspi...

Bond Hearings (June 11, 2014)The following individuals appeared in felony bond hearings Wednesday at the Pope County Detention Center. Their names, ages, anticipated charges and bond amounts are listed below. If charged, they will appear July 7 in Circuit Court. • Kyle Brady, 28, delivery of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, drinking on the highway, driving on a suspended license and felony fleeing — $200,000. During a six-month period, Brady sold ...

Man pleads not guilty to woman's Tontitown slaying SPRINGDALE (AP) — A Springdale man has pleaded not guilty to charges in the stabbing death of a woman in Tontitown. Lewis Hedges Jr., 34, entered the plea during arraignment Wednesday on a charge of being an accomplice to capital murder in the May stabbing death of Dawn Leann Frazier. Investigators say Hedges told Brock Atkins, 19, to stab Frazier. Atkins says Hedges held a gun to his head and threatened to kill him if he didn't stab the woman...

Ex-county judge pleads guilty to bribery charge EL DORADO (AP) — A former Ouachita County judge has pleaded guilty to a bribery charge involving a Federal Emergency Management Agency contract to clean up debris following October 2009 storms in the county. Court documents show that James Michael Hesterly entered the plea Wednesday as part of an agreement in which other charges against him were dropped. Hesterly's attorney did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment. Federal prose...

Judge orders mental exam for Pangburn suspect HEBER SPRINGS (AP) — A judge has ordered a mental evaluation for a 25-year-old Pangburn man accused of killing his parents. Cleburne County Circuit Judge John Dan Kemp approved the mental evaluation request Tuesday for Justin Nickelson. Prosecutors charged Nickelson with two counts of capital murder in the April shotgun slayings of his parents, 61-year-old Gerald Nickelson and 58-year-old Rhonda Nickelson. Justin Nickelson is being held in the...

Bond Hearings (June 9, 2014)The following individual appeared in felony bond hearings Monday at the Pope County Detention Center. Her name, age, anticipated charge and bond amount is listed below. If charged, she will appear July 7 in Circuit Court. • Barbara Simmermaker, 44, filing a false report with law enforcement — $5,000. On May 10, Simmermaker told officers with the Pope County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) her husband had broken through a back door and choked her, acco...

Police: 2 found dead at home in Cotton PlantCOTTON PLANT (AP) — Arkansas State Police say they've been asked to help investigate after two people were found dead in Cotton Plant. State police said in a news release that Cotton Plant police asked for assistance Saturday after officers investigating reports of bodies found one person dead outside a home on the town's south side and the second person dead inside the home. The names of the two were not immediately released.

Daughter of slain Batesville woman is charged BATESVILLE (AP) — The daughter of a Batesville woman found dead near Malvern has been arrested for her mother's death. Independence County authorities say Jerrie Acklin was arrested for suspicion of murder in the death of 64-year-old Linda Jo Stingley. Acklin's first name has also been spelled Jerry and Jerri. Acklin is being held on $500,000 bond in the Independence County jail. Jailers did not know if she had an attorney. Stingley's body was...